Check out the latest episode in the Suite Spot: Independent Hotel Show Series, to hear from the COO of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, Gabriel Perez!
Gabriel breaks down the intricacies of F&B in hospitality, how the Indigo brand is evolving, and what attendees can look forward to at the 2025 Independent Hotel Show Miami.
Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what’s trending in hotel marketing. I’m your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embry, and we are part of our Independent Hotel show series. This is the second edition of this new series that we’re kicking off in collaborating with the Independent Hotel Show. This is your first time we’re bringing on advisory board members, team members of the Independent Hotel Show, getting us geared up for that show here at Miami Beach this September. We cannot wait. Uh, and I also cannot wait to bring in my guest, so I’ll bring him in. Gabriel Perez, COO of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Gabriel, thank you so much for being on the Suite Spot.
Well, thank you. Happy to be here.
We’re excited. We’re gonna talk some independent hotels. We’re gonna talk mm-hmm . About the Independent Hotel Show. That’s why you’re on here. But before, uh, love getting a little bit of background on your story, uh, your hospitality journey that led you to Indigo Road Hospitality Group.
It’s, uh, the journey of a very lucky guy. I started this without knowing that it is what I wanted to do long time ago, late eighties at the Intercontinental Hotel in Caracas. And it has been a progressive set of situations and a great joy of many privileges, which had allowed me to, uh, grow within the career in few different segments and disciplines of, of the hospitality. Again, privilege to be today where I am in supporting and leading a great team of individuals, uh, with real hospitality, where the emphasis is experiences in addition to profitability and results.
This is why I always love starting the episode talking about this, uh, because you just get such perspective, um, where people start their journey. You have a common thread with a lot of our guests that we have on the Suite Spot of maybe falling into the industry not knowing that this is something that you wanted to pursue as a career, but once you get into it, it kind of sticks onto you, right? It kind of gets stuck in your DNAA little bit as so to speak. Right? It does,
It does very much is it’s a contagious daily excitement that is always different.
Absolutely. And that variability, you know, it’s funny you say it like that, it’s always different, but hospitality is the, the skills are so transferrable, um, from whether it’s different parts of the world, different brands, you know, hosting people and, and providing them with good service can be done at a high level, uh, again, through a lot of different medians. But that energy, that passion that you bring, Gabriel, that you were talking about, it is, it’s, it’s contagious. And that’s why we see so many people, um, with these stories where, you know, you’re talking to a bellman that, that started in a hotel. Uh, and, and now I get the privilege of, of interviewing hospitality professionals like yourself. So, uh, the, the stories range far and wide, but I, I love hearing them and I think they need to be told. I think, you know, in a, in a time right now where we’ve struggled over the last couple years with, with hospitality workforce, to hear these stories out there of where, what a career and hospitality can look like, because sometimes in industries you think, Hey, I need to be promoted by this time, or I need to be at this stage of my career. Hospitality is very different.
It is very different. It is, um, it is always work in progress. As I said earlier. Every day is different. Every challenge is different. What was done yesterday or last quarter, not necessarily lies today when it comes to crafting those experiences, the demographic is always changing and evolving. So I think it’s, it, you know, it only not only keeps your, your toes, but it develops a sense of progression that only a few other dynamic industries allow you to do.
Yeah, absolutely. Fast changing, um, a lot of elements, a lot of outside elements also impact our industry, which we’re gonna talk about in a minute. Yeah. Um, but before we get into that, I’d like to just do, you know, we learned a little bit about you, a quick introduction into Indigo Road Hospitality Group for maybe our, our Suite Spot hotel audience, or, um, listeners tell us the story of the Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Sure.
It’ll be my pleasure. It’s, uh, Steve Palmer is the founder and chief visionary officer of the company. He founded the Indigo Road Hospitality Group in 2009, primarily as a culinary restaurant focused hospitality group. And then sometime in 2020, after seeing the food and various operations of our company in different hotels not managed by us, he came to the realization that we could be doing that better than them. What we do in the Food and Burg experience environment is so much greater than the transactional aspect of what we’re seeing in those hotels. So it founded the lodging group within the Indigo Hospitality Group. Now we have, uh, soon to be six hotels. I would say twice that amount within the next two years, or year and a half, and over 40 restaurant concepts in the, I would say the East Coast, Southeast, and even in the DC area. Expanding, growing, but growing, um, with purpose. Uh, not looking at the next shining object, but looking at two partnerships that develop other partnerships with, with people who share the same values that we have.
That’s incredible growth. That what you’re talking about, Gabriel, it’s super exciting, I’m sure on your end to be a, a part of that team, busy in a, in, in a good way. But that’s a unique story. I, I think, you know, now you see management companies kind of spinning into the, the f and b side, but to see that your origin story really started in F and B mm-hmm . And then transition over to lodging, I’m sure there’s a lot of unique characteristics and traits that this group brings, uh, being that that was its origin.
Yeah, undoubtedly, I will have to say that, um, we see it with a sense of urgency and purpose. We always try to materialize and create something special from an f and b perspective in absolute cohesion with the hotel experience. We’re very different and occupying a great space in the hospitality environment, especially in the boutique hotels environment, simply because, um, when we do hotels, we don’t do a hotel as a restaurant. We do a hotel that happens to be either next to a restaurant of its own sole purpose, history, and identity and branding, of course, where it could benefit and will benefit from hotel guests, but does not need the hotel guests to be successful. So we, we create literally two self-dependent concepts and not just a hotel where you can get a frozen bagel and a banana.
I love that. I love that. And, you know, when you create them not being so codependent on one another, it also creates a, um, a, a, a loyalty, uh, to each of the entities. And hopefully you see that overflow, and that’s just an added benefit. I, I would imagine, of having two standalone businesses that, that are, are executing at high levels. You then become, you then can see kind of the overflow of that. So that, that’s really unique and, and very cool. I wanna transition to kind of the state of independent hotels right now. Yeah. Uh, we’re seeing a lot of brands really dive into experimental lodging accommodations, like the glamping, obviously we’ve seen leaning heavily into soft brands this past decade. What do you think, Gabriel, this tells you about overall sentiment, guest sentiment and traveler sentiment towards independent lodging, and where do you feel like independents still have an edge?
Well, my opinion is that it is what people would like to experience. Anybody, everybody can go at any given time to branded slash in hotel route of Highway 95 or Highway 10 or five. It would be pretty transactional. And you might remember the trip that let you stay there, but you won’t remember anything about that hotel when you stayed in boutique hotels. Mostly independent hotels, even soft branded hotels. You have that opportunity to remember that experience from the moment you enter the orchestra and listen to the music as the bellman opens the doors or smells, the, and the, the aroma of the hotel lobby, which has a high livelihood of matching the soap and all the fragrances in the room that is cohesive, that is intentional. Now, what we do in our space is that not only we do all of that, but we bring the lifestyle part to it, which in essence is the food and beverages, the programming, the cooperation, uh, the internal cooperation that the food and beverages brings to create and seal the deal when it comes to the experience.
I absolutely love that parallel a bit about being, like making your hotel and your lodging a part of the journey and overall experience. And you’re, you’re absolutely right. If you can have an impact there, that’s, that’s storytelling, right? Mm-hmm. Because now all of a sudden that stay is something that when you’re telling a neighbor, a family friend about your trip, you’re now including that hotel experience as a part of that. And that’s really, you know, the, the best type of reputation, which we’re gonna talk about later too, is, is word of mouth. And you pair that with an, with the FMB, which is obviously, you know, a mass part of the Indigo Road Hospitality group portfolio. Talk to us a little bit about how F&B experience can really be a differentiator for boutique and independent hotels.
Well, F&B is the it why it is because everybody who craves boutique hotel experiences is looking for a sensorial part of it, and food and beverages and taste is a great part of that. It’s a great component of that answer of that niche. So, um, we believe that a, a full integration of the lodging and the experience, you know, the 300 threads on that sheet in addition to hospitality that is best, is the way to go. And it’s what everybody is naturally craving, as you can see, is the old indicators show that boutique, upper scale and luxury are the only trending upwards in rate nationwide. For, for months, I would set up a few years kind of recession proof, but, um, f and B is what gives color, is what gives the lifestyle to the lifestyle world, because it’s what you can put together. So we’re very intentional when we do these things. We, we look at the project, we look at the community, we see not only what the community needs, but what it might not know that it needs. Hmm. Um, and that is extremely important. We are proven to be very successful on that. And not only we’re prone to be successful, we enjoy doing it
And bringing in the local community. So important. There has been such a di a, a seismic shift, I feel like over the last few years with what you would call a hotel restaurant where I, I think there was like a, a, when you thought about a a, a restaurant in a hotel, do you think it was just catering to those guests that are staying at the property? Mm-hmm . Now, uh, communities are embracing these restaurants and sometimes are top rated in, in their local communities. They’ve become local community gathering spots for celebrations, you know, things where the local community has actually embraced to where they’re actually recommending people to go to the hotel restaurant, which I think was missing over the last couple years. And now these property owners, hotel brands, they’re realizing that this is a, a, a place where there’s added benefit and value for a guest right now.
Yeah. And in addition to that, one needs to be very careful and crafty in the way we approach those. FFMB is the spaces why, um, you wanna have a place that is welcoming, that is not just thought or saw as the place where I’m gonna have a particular event that becomes only a place for events. You wanna have a place that is approachable enough for you to go there twice a week, either to have a magnificent entree and a good drink or a special event. And there’s a balance experience takes you there, but there’s a, a particular craft to make sure that you don’t overdo things. Uh, and that’s the beauty and the flexibility and the creativity that the boutique hotel space brings to not only large in both Gutenberg just as well.
Oh, absolutely. I, I wanna, uh, take a, maybe zoom out a little bit in a wider lens right now, in our industry as a whole, a lot of uncertainty right now, right? We’ve got economic shift, geopolitical factors. Yes, there’s rising travel costs and business costs that the hoteliers are seeing on their side. What are you bullish on right now, Gabriel? Give us, give our hotel listeners who maybe have that little bit of angst with, you know, approaching clouds, a little bit of hope, and what maybe you can speak specifically to independent and boutique hotels. Why should they have hope right now in this time of uncertainty? Well,
We all still have hope because whatever is happening right now is transitory. Second, we, it has been proven 2008, 2009, all throughout this crisis. COVID, the one that gets all those guests back sooner, faster, and better is the boutique hotel space and the upper luxury space. So I am not really concerned. Those of us who are purposeful about creating experiences and not eliminating touch points with the guests will always have a place in the future. AI can help you on the backend of the business on efficiencies when it comes to the things that the guest doesn’t see. But nothing replaces the touch of the human, where human touch works. And for that, I’m extremely hopeful. And matter of fact, I would say kind of tranquil when it comes to what the future brings. If you do things right, right, things will happen.
Love that. I absolutely love that. And you’re right, Gabriel. I mean, in a time where travelers might be holding their wallets a little tighter than they have before, I think what we naturally instinctually do is we start to do more research to make ourselves feel better about our purchasing decisions, right? . And I think that should be a really great sign for independent boutique hotels that do a really good job of, of telling their story, which we’re gonna talk about here in a minute. Because if you have this rich history legacy, um, of a, of a, of a story that you’re telling the guest and guests have a passion and a loyalty for, and that is shown online, the more research you do that should sh outshine and, and shine brighter than maybe hotels in your market. So I do think, you know, independent boutique hotels are in this really cool space that they have these really unique stories where travelers might be looking at their, at their hotel or property that weren’t looking there before. So it’s a really, really, um, unique space to be in right now. And I think it’s, I, I’m, I’m 100% with you. I think there is a lot of hope, and I think you should look at this time as opportune instead of, of maybe dwelling on all those uncertainties right now. Yeah.
And to your point, the type of operations that, that we or have allows for pivoting faster and easier than the big corporations where you have a board of directors needing to approve a mover too. If you’re a real, genuine, unique boutique hotel, all you need to do is think about the idea and execute it. And that’s one of the beauties and peculiarities of our space.
Love, love that. Yeah. And, uh, another way is what we talked about is that connection with your local community. Mm-hmm. Right? I think independent hotels and their ability to connect with the local area and community, um, makes them unique and can really be an advantage over maybe those other big corporate hotels. Um, the properties in your portfolio, Gabriel, they, they span all over the country. Can you share any local, uh, examples of incorporating the local area into your portfolio story, whether it’s through design or, or different elements of the hotel or guest experience?
Well, I would like to default to, um, Ben’s friends. Ben’s friends is, uh, also, uh, founded by Steve Palmer, the founder of, uh, the Indigo Road. This is, uh, a group created to help those within the hospitality business. The communities where we work at, have buildings, at, have restaurants, have hotels at those who are struggling with substance abuse. Uh, a place where where you can find refuge, you can find people who’s struggling and see stories of success. It is nationwide. We’ve been very privileged to, to have that opportunity to be able to help this hospitality community that sometimes doesn’t look for help, because we’re too busy working with our own struggles that, that we forget that we need to take care of ourselves. Since we’re so passionate about taking care of others, they’re in all of the markets in which we have a footprint. And as a matter of fact, I think there’s quite a few chapters in, in Europe as well. So, uh, taking care of those who take care of others, uh, of our guests is something very important for us.
That’s incredible. I love that. And that’s for, for maybe any of our listeners that wanna find out, uh, a little bit more about this, it’s called Ben’s friends, correct? Correct. Awesome. I I, I love that program. And again, storing, just like we talked at the top of the episode about sharing hospitality success stories, I’m sure those stories go a long way, um, in that community and helping people and kind of seeing a path there to impro, uh, to, to success and improvement. So very, very cool. And speaking of storytelling, you know, we talked about it, it storytelling, reputation, so critical for independent hotels. You know, we debuted this podcast seven years ago, originally as a digital marketing podcast before we started hosting, uh, hospitality professionals like You, Gabriel, and, and running series for, for, uh, you know, hospitality events like the Independent Hotel Show. But, you know, we would talk about tips like social media strategy, uh, online reputation reviews, review, response. You know, these are core pillars of digital marketing, um, and helping boutique, not just boutique, but all hotels kind of tell their story online. Talk to us a little bit about the, the Indigo Road Hospitality Group and, and how they use digital marketing to tell their stories.
Well, it is extremely important. We do have not only a marketing team, we have a social media marketing team as well. Uh, it is a team that not only have, uh, a presence here in Charlestown, but every single hotel has some marketing designated individual solely for social media. It is something that we started, uh, few months ago, I would say, less than a year ago. That’s something that we call the social champs. And these are the individuals who also have a day job, but they, they, they do, they find, they craft all these visual elements that, uh, you see in any of our restaurants and hotels on Instagram, social media, Facebook in general. It is something that, uh, is proven to create a great anticipation in all the markets that we’re stepping in, because the process for us is start years in advance. We don’t start promoting a particular concept or a hotel half an hour before we open. Right? We do this in months and months in advance, creating not only showing the public what the image, the history is, but also creating some sense of anticipation of, of the goodies that will be within their area pretty soon.
Well, that’s part of the story too, Gabriel, and, and mm-hmm . That listen, talk to anyone who’s ever opened a hotel or has developed a hotel, that is a story, maybe not one that, uh, that they necessarily like to tell at sometimes, but more often than not, it’s what you said. It’s a, it’s a great place to build anticipation. It’s a, it’s a great place to inform guests, to build an audience, to build excitement and awe mm-hmm . Of this, of this new development coming in. And, and can, can create some strong community ties as well, which, uh, has been, you know, about, about what this episode’s about. But you’re absolutely right with, with, with social media. It, it’s so critical in every aspect. A decade ago, it might’ve been tough to see or encourage your, your travelers or, or guests to post or even find posts about your specific property or your restaurant, right? Mm-hmm . Yeah. Now it is every day, you know, every day if you keep your ears to the ground, if you keep your eyes open and, and listen, not all social, social, uh, media posts are created the same too. You know, we have, we’ve done some research for some hotels where we’ve said, Hey, did you know this influencer here that has a following of 20,000 stayed at your hotel and, and they had took this beautiful picture at, uh, at sunset at, on one of your balconies? Like, this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to jump into that conversation. So it’s so critical to keep your ear to the ground there, because every single day, especially with those great storytellers like independent and hotel, uh, independent and boutique hotels are, there can be some really cool things happening in that arena.
That’s another part of our pieces, I would say, very seriously. Uh, we wanna be on the edge of what, what social media is, who’s looking what, and what is being looked at. Um, again, we we’re very purposeful on, on that sense too, because although at times it’s difficult to measure the return, you can see the growth in followers. And I am not expert, but we do have experts here who are savvy enough to tell you and advise us at different meetings for different properties. You know, no more than four hashtags, or you have to use these, or it has to be posted at a particular, uh, time of the day. That’s a, a whole new craft that, you know, is emerging. And we should be very adaptive to it, flexible to some extent, but always willing to, to benefit from it. It’s an art.
Yeah. It’s an art and a science, uh, just mm-hmm. Just like you were, you were talking about, and I think, you know, you, you brought up AI a minute ago. I think as this becomes more prevalent in our industry, it is gonna be the authentic experiences that I think that I know independent and boutique hotels, uh, are set up very, very nicely for that is going to, to have the biggest ripple effects out there online, because you might see some of that content that is, whether it’s hybrid or ai, ai, first it’s gonna be those authentic experiences that really rise, you know, just like, uh, uh, rise above the tide, so to speak. Yep. And, and could make a really, really big impact on your story online. So Gabriel, I wanna do some rapid fire questions, get to know you. Sure, sure. And the indigo, uh, hospitality, uh, indigo Road hospitality portfolio a little bit better. So, um, we talked about views, one of your favorite views at, at your properties. What would you say?
I would have to say blue rich mountains on top of the Snowbird Mountain Lodge.
Very picturesque. I haven’t seen pictures, but the way that you paint that, I can imagine it in my head right there. So, uh, from
The reception library desk, you can just look outside and it’s endless.
Beautiful, great social media pick, uh, for sure. Favorite fun fact about one of your properties, Gabriel
Sky and Lodge, Western North Carolina in some nights, and this is not something we sponsor, you could see black bears roaming the hotel and, and the areas.
Alright. All right. Little nature, uh, yeah, nature view from the, uh, from the hotel. Love that favorite signature dish. This might be it be tough with the portfolio that you have over there at one of your hotel.
It’s tough. But I would like to say that every single Italian concept has magnificent desserts. All of our desserts are on May, but I love Amisu. The way we do mizzu in our Italian concepts is just out of this world.
I, I’ve asked this question, uh, multiple times with the, with the, uh, favorite dish. Everyone seems to go straight to dessert for some reason. I think, you know, that might be the most popular. Favorite guest experience as one of your properties.
I would like to say River House. They’re pretty good with, uh, the hospitality delivery everywhere at River House. All of our hotels will have to say they’re pretty good at it. But River House had me waiting in the room, my favorite snack, which was Nutella. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, but buddy, you can get me with a Nutella jar anytime,
Alright. I love that personalization to, its, to its best favorite piece of art at one of your properties. River
House. River House has a piece of art, which was handcrafted by the daughter of Jessica and James Whitley, who are the owners of the hotel. I look at it is above one of the restaurant booths. And I look, oh, that’s so crazy. That’s beautiful. And one of them told me that was her daughter. We were playing with it and we crafted that. We put her on a frame and here her, it’s, and I’ll tell you, it matches and hits a note with all the surrounding art of that place. Magnificent.
That’s really, really cool. So you talk about connecting with, with a local community, you know, to have a piece of art and thereby one of the owners is certainly one of the place. And, and art and design really, you know, there’s so many stories that we’ve heard of incorporating art and, and local art and flair and design to, to a development that really, that can be the, your connection to the local area. Yeah. So, you know, let’s, let’s talk about what this series is all about. The Independent Hotel Show coming up September 17th and 18th in Miami Beach, Gabriel, both, uh, I will, I will be there. The Suite Spot team will be there. Uh, and hopefully our Suite Spot listeners will be there. You can use promo code EMRE 25 E-M-B-R-E-E 25 for a complimentary registration. Gabriel, you recently joined the advisory board. Congratulations on that. That, thank you. Um, what it’s attract. Yeah. What attracted you to this event and, and how do you seeing it benefiting independent hotels, maybe of someone that hasn’t attended the show before?
It’s a great place to create connections. Networking, it’s chase thoughts and idea about rent, how different particular hotels navigate, uh, the different needs. Not only the guest needs on what we execute, but the emerging situations, economically, political, you name it. And why Miami, Miami is like the mecca of boutique hotels. It’s the perfect spot for so many different concepts of boutique hotels to be sharing, to be in under one roof. Exchanging thoughts and ideas, I think is, uh, is, is a great place to be when you have so much talent discussing not only the emerging trends as I said earlier, but the, the what is inside of us, what is spiritually, uh, driving our, our, our creative souls. And, uh, and for that, I’m thankful to be on the board and being a, a contributing part of, of this show for, for years to come.
I, I, I second your sentiment there, Gabriel. There’s an energy and a passion that, you know, we, we have the privilege of attending multiple shows throughout the year, but you can feel it at this show and, and it it for someone that might be an independent hotel owner, boutique hotel owner, you know, this is everything to them. And yeah. And to exchange ideas, um, to hear, you know, the same challenges that, that you’re experiencing at one property. Yes, you could be, your neighbor could be experiencing and to be able to say, Hey, listen, how, how are we going to, how are we gonna potentially weather these storms coming up? Where is our competitive advantages at? There’s so much thought, thought leadership at this, such a blend of, like I said, trends like you were mentioning Gabriel, but also just, just great ideas and, and that energy is something that I haven’t seen replicated at, at a lot of hospitality events that, that we have.
Yeah. It’s creativity under one roof. Yes. With a lot of best practices.
100%. Great, great way to explain it. So again, hopefully our Suite Spot listeners will meet, uh, Gabriel and myself down in Miami Beach in September. We’ll be looking for you. We always like to end these episodes, kind of gazing into the, the crystal ball looking into the future. Love to get, you know, the, the Indigo Road Hospitality Group. You, you shared with me a couple exciting projects and developments in the pipeline. Let’s talk about those and maybe your vision for the future of lodging at, uh, indigo Road Hospitality. Our
Vision is to continue to grow with partners who have the values that we have with partners who see the long term and not instantaneous materialization of fantasies. We like to do great things are meaningful either in the realm of the hospitality space or to a particular community. Things that we’re proud of. So our growth will be in direct connection to continue to work with or finding different partners who want to create special things, things that are memorable, things that create experiences and things that people will crave and say, we have to come back. We don’t want to grow in a manner that just picks up anything that is along the road. Not every seed planted is a fruitful one. So we’re looking for, partnerships are meaningful. People who identify and understand that hospitality is here to stay. And in order to, to evolve and continue to grow, we have to create things that matter that are impactful and not just something that is trendy. So that’s where our growth is going. Partnering with a great people, with good spirit, good soul, good . We are, are opening, uh, our first hotel in Florida within the next couple of years. There are other opportunities here in the southeast and emerging a little bit west. So, um, we’re very excited. We’re very excited because, uh, these are things that are not, we’re not hunting for the thing. Mm-hmm . These are coming to us and we are able at this point to choose who to work with. And then we see what the project is like. And that’s a pretty special position to be at.
It’s a great place to be in. And it seems like, from everything I’ve heard today, Gabriel, you’re gonna have your hands full, uh, over the next upcoming months and years, and we’ll check in with you in, uh, September in Miami Beach. But wish you well any, we, we covered a lot today. Any final thoughts before we wrap up, Gabriel?
Well, the spirit hospitality, um, don’t let all the news, don’t let what you see on, on the media disappoint you or deter you from continuing to think that this is the business that will always be everlasting. Simply because people are craving for good experiences and for leisure time. And here we are to provide that at a great level every time. That is,
Love it. Wise words from, uh, Gabriel Perez or Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Suite Spot and, uh, you know, speaking these, these hopeful, that hopeful message to our audience today.
Ryan, thank you. It is a privilege to be here with you and I’m looking forward to seeing you in Sunny Miami Beach sometime in September.
We will be there. Thank you so much. And thank you for listening to The Suite Spot. We’ll talk to you next time To join our loyalty program. Be sure to subscribe and give us a five star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with Cover Art by Bary Gordon. I’m your host Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.
